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Poker has taken the world by storm for quite a few years or so and there are plenty excellent poker titles available for your iPhone. Words With Friends took Scrabble and made it into a very popular online game. Aspyr Media has decided to combine the two and this is how we have Poker Pals.
Yes, this is a turn based poker game played on a board. You play your hand, and then your opponent can use the hand you placed to create their own hand. Once the board starts filling, points can be…

Shantae is a half genie. She finds herself on a quest to travel all over Sequin Land to stop the evil pirate wench Risky Boots, who has stolen a magic lamp capable of terrible power. Predictability aside, what we have here is an old school platformer as you travel left or right from screen to screen, collecting items, defeating enemies, and engaging in boss encounters. Platformer fans should feel right at home.
The game uses an on screen joystick and buttons. Shantae can move left or…

What if a developer was to take angry birds, and fashion an RPG system around the addictive, flinging gameplay? What is the RPG system incorporated included shades of unique classes such as fighters, lancers, archers, and wizards, that all had their unique methods of attack? What if each level had multiple difficulty settings that unlocked more interesting loot and experience, and what if these special items recovered could be leveled up and mastered for more damage? Sounding good? Wel…

Janryumon by NCSoft is simultaneously the most amazing and the most frustrating game I've played on an iOS device and this includes games I've either praised like a gibbering fan-boy or scalded for mistakes that go beyond basic flaws. This is because Janryumon is a client to play Reach Mahjong online against other players around the world, but more importantly the gameplay behind Mahjong is so rich - is so complex - that unless you are practiced in the game already, you WILL fail and f…

The original Asteroids by Atari is easily recognizable as one of the forefathers of Arcade gaming that has eventually led to common genres like the twin-stick shooter. The fact that the iOS ended up with such amazing titles like Space Miner: Space Ore Bust and Meteor Blitz by restoring some of the classic formula only goes to show how far-reaching the concept came to be. With Atari celebrating Asteroids 30th year out of the Arcades (the Atari 2600 first saw the game in 1981), it'…

One gets the feeling upon playing Sad Robot that it was created all around the premise of the catchy theme song that plays during the game. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it might excuse some of the more questionable parts of this experience. Let us explore further.
You control a robot flying through space. You collect coins, avoid obstacles, and sometimes you can gain a power-up to aid you. The coins can be used to purchase new robots, upgrade the power-ups and buy items…

Players tend to expect a lot from fighting games. An eclectic cast of characters with interesting move-sets, good balance in pairings, and a variety of interesting locations to spar in. Zen Warrior gets the last one right but falls a little short in other respects.
You play as Kuma, a karate fighter looking to discover himself and further the study of his art. In stage after stage you take on different fighters in a 'best out of three matches' scenario before moving onto the next. The…

I'm prepared to be lynched by the mob, but first hear me out: While I was never a personal fan of the first-person RPG while growing up (even despite some amazing examples of the genre on the Commodore Amiga, I get what makes them so appealing - I love the challenge of overcoming my ignorance and mastering an otherwise puzzling system of gameplay. Unfortunately for Wizardry Labyrinth of Lost Souls this is 2011 and we have better ways to remove 'hand holding' without making a player fee…

Ever wonder how ninjas train? Apparently it all has to do with jumping between platforms. What the documentaries fail to mention is the all too important job of the paddler. You see, the crevice is too large for even the most athletic of ninjas to overcome, therefore they need a paddle of varying lengths. This is where you as the player come in. Help train as many ninjas as possible in the time limit by ferrying them to the other side, all the while avoiding the bombs and arrows dedica…

Most platformers are content with assigning players a handful of 'powers', be it through tokens they earn that give them temporary special abilities or by using button combinations to add a level of skill to the gameplay. SpinTrip takes a slightly different approach, breaking down the gameplay in to moving left/right and jumping while only being able to activate one power at a time; the catch is, you need to 'find' the power in question first.
It's an intriguing idea and where most ga…

You know those physics puzzle games where you have to remove blocks to safely drop a character on the ground below without having him roll off the edge? Bring me Down is one of those games... in 3d! Does the extra dimension help or hinder? Let us find out.
Each level starts with this monster trapped in a spherical cage. By tapping on the blocks he's resting on, they disappear, and then physics happens. The goal is to get the monster to the ground below (along with the two bananas as w…

The popularity of abstract shooters and endless titles was eventually bound to result in a developer marrying the two, with games like Phoenix by Firi Games capturing the spirit of a bullet hell shoot'em-up while still having the hook of hitting 'replay' over and over. Wonton 51 by Quarter Circle Punch takes another stab at the formula, opting for a self-aware style that adds some humor in to the mix.
As with any self-respecting game invoking the early days of the arcade (as this retr…

It seems Adult Swim are on a rampage at the moment and their collection of high-quality games for the iOS platform has once again expanded with the release of Grumpyface Studio's title Bring Me Sandwiches!!. Set in a typically unreal cartoonish world, your character is targeted by a gigantic alien invader as the sole provider of sustenance. So now, with the help of the Secret Service, you'll collect everything you can possibly fit on to a slice of bread to satiate the alien's hunger.…

You know, it's a good thing that the rooster you control in Ghost Chicken is deceased, otherwise the sound effects associated with the neck stretching might be a little more grotesque. This is a game made to cash in on Halloween around the corner however, so it might not have been too out of place. Regardless, even though you're a ghost chicken, you still have hunger, so it's time to stretch out underground, feasting on all the corn and bugs you can find.
The goal of each level is to…

Style versus substance. As reviewers and gamers, substance usually wins the battle. No matter how beautiful the graphics or amazing the sound, a shallow gameplay experience will wear out its welcome quickly. That's not to say these experiences are altogether bad, it's just you need to know what you're getting yourself into.
Turtle Slide is an endless runner, or an endless slider as would be the case in this instance. As a turtle on an ice world, you need to jump, collect coins, and do…